Spool.



M. LEITGH.

. SPOOL. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31, 1908.

Z SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

M. LEITGH.

SPOOL. APPLICATION FILED 001231, 1908.

Patented Nov. 22,1910.

2 SHEETS-SEEET 2.

Wua M01:

l qh/tuwogo 3311725614 z'ne uni-T D stra ns PATENT MEREDITH Lnrren, or sramerinrn, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY, AcoRPoRATIoN on: NEW JERSEYH SPOOL.

- specification of Letters ma. Pat nt 22, 1 10,

Application filed October a1, 1908. Serial no. 4ao,4 s1.'

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MEREDITH LEITGH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, county."ofI-Ia1npden, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spools, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention'relates to improvements in spools, and has for its object to produce a substitute for the woodenspool heretofore generally used. On account of the'great number of spools required, the cost of wooden spools has gradually risen, due in part to the increasing price of material used,

and there has been a great demand for a spool made wholly or partially of some other material which will be practical and inexpensive to manufacture and use.

In addition to producing a substitute for the wooden s 001, my invention has for its object to pro uce a spool having a metallic base in which corrosion and damage to the thread shall be prevented; Second, to provide such a spool with a suitable surface for winding, so that the threadwill cling thereto. Third, to provide such a spool with a surface against which the guide may strike at the ends of its stroke without injury to the guide or the surface. Fourth, to produce, a metallic spool in which the end of the 'which-- Figure 1 represents a planview of one end of the spool. Fig. 2 1s a side elevation of the spool partly in section. Fig. 3 is a detail of a modification. Fig. 4. is a partial side elevation partly in section showing a modification. Fig. 5is an enlarged detail of the spoolof both Figs. 2 and 4. Fig. 6

is a detail of the spool of Fig. 4. 7 is an enlarged detail of the spool of Fig. t.

Fig. 8 is a joint that may be used instead of that of Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to.the drawings, the spool of Figs. 1 and 2 has a body consisting of two portions A--A- drawn or struck up from a. single piece of metalso as tobe integral with one another, one part beingtubular and the other conical. These two portions are joined together at their edges by a locked joint B. Uponthe bases of the conical parts of each portion is an end piece C secured by thelocked joint D,

having an outwardly. projecting flange D- on the conical portion, which the edge of the end closure extends over and embraces. This-end piece or closure has a central perfora-tion E provided with internal flanges having grooves E for splines upon the drivingspindle. The flanges are cut with slits at the apexes of the grooves so that they will yield and hug the spindle passing through them when the spindle is, as it should be, slightly larger than the normal internal diameter of the flange. The flanges thus provide long bearings on the spindle and also hug it. The end piece is provided with struck-up tangs F, under which the end of the thread can be caught, the thread being passed through a perforation G' so that it can be fastened without passing over the outside ofthe joint D. The outer sur face, including the upper edges, of the joints D are polished so as toform asmooth surface on which the thread slips easily when unwound by being pulled in the direction of the axis of the spool. Upon the two conical portions of the spool 1s a covering or surface H, which may be made of paper,

I When made of cork or sawdust it is preferably cemented on.

cork, sawdust or enamel.

When made of paper it.can be held on with- 7 out being cemented to the body of the spool.

If made of" paper, I preferably form coverings for the two conical portions by stamping or pressing the paper into conical form and .placing them upon the ends before the two body portions are secured together by the joint D. When thetwo conical paper portions are uponthe conical ends, the spool ends G are applied lapping over the paper on the conica parts and the locked joints D formed, holding the outer ends of the conical paper portionsin place in the openings or recessesof the joints. The openings in the twofjoints face one another and surround the peripheries of the tapered or conical end portions. Fig. 5 shows this locked joint on an enlarged scale. The outer edges of the joints D project so that the covering is protected against abrasion by the thread and against wear due to contact when the spool rests on its side. The cylindrical portion of the spool is covered with a paper portion I,

which is secured thereto by a lapped joint completely covering the outer surface of the metallic base. The paper portions I-I may also be made with a lapped joint instead of being pressed into shape, if desired. In Fig. 3, I have shown at B a modified locked joint connecting the two cylindrical portions together. The joint shown in Fig. 3 can be used in place of the joint shown in Fig. 2, if desired. c

In the modification shown'in Fig. 4, the spool is made from five pieces instead of four. The cylindrical portion is a continuous'tube and the conical portions are each joined to the ends thereof by a locked joint K. In Fig. 4 the tangs for the thread are formed by a separate piece L riveted or otherwise secured opposite the hole' G, instead of being stamped up by the metal. The locked joint K is shown in enlarged detail in Fi 7 The paper portions H and I of Fig. 4:,T12LV8 abutting edges, that construction being permissible if the paper is carefully applied. M is a tang cut from the paper to catch the thread or start it, if desired. The joints B, B, D and K can be soldered, if desired.

In Fig. 8 is shown a joint K that may be used instead of the joint K.

It is to be noted that the tapered or conical end portions A have parts parallel to the axis of the spool, and that the end closures are formed with rentrant portions having continuous inner and outer surfaces also parallel to the axis of the spool, the

outer surfaces engaging the inner surfaces on the parts of the end portions which are parallel to the axis, thus providing endwise projecting flanges on the spool ends.

Spools embodying -,my invention, as above shown and described, are inexpensive to manufacture and are capable of standing hard usage. They provide good winding surfaces and the edges formed by the joints D provide good surfaces for the thread to run on when unwinding. Damage to the thread by corrosion is prevented and the thread clings to the surface so that it will not crowd down at the end at the point where the guide reverses, and a surface on the inclined flanges against'which the guide may strike at the end of its stroke without injury to itself or to the surface. is also provided. For some purposes the paper covering can be omitted.

What I \claim is: 1. In a spool a metallic spool body, having 'a cylindrical central portion and two end portions, said end portions having coni- 2. In a spool, the combination of a metallic spool body having a cylindrical portion and conical end portions, a non-metallic coverlng for said cylindrical and conical portions, and end closures remote from said cyl1ndr1cal portlon and extendlng beyond the peripheries of said conical the coveringthereon.

3. In a spool, the combination of a metallic spool body having a cylindrical portion and conical portions, end closures secured to said conical portions by joints having'openings surrounding said'conical portions, the opening in the joint securing one end closure facing the opening in the joint securing the other end closure, and a fibrous covering on said cylindrical and conical ing into said openings.

portions and portions extend- 4; In a spool, the combination of a metallic body portion consisting of cylindrical and conical parts, end closures secured thereto to the conical parts by locked joints and remote from said cylindrical part, and a paper covering-for said body portionv secured within the locked joints, said end closures extending outwardly beyond said covering.

5. In a spool, the combination of ametallic spool body having a cylindrical port-ion and two-end portions, said end portions having conical surfaces and at their bases exposed cylindrical portions parallel to the axis of the spool body and surrounding said axis, with end closures having rentrant surfaces having walls surrounding and parallel to said axis and engaging parallel surfaces on said end portions:

6. In a spool, the combination of a metallic spool body having a cylindrical portion and .conical portions, said conical portions having outwardly projecting flanges, and end closures extending over one side of said flanges and engaging the other side, one of said conical portions and the corresponding end closure having a'perforation adjacent to the flange on said conical portion, and thread-securin means upon the perforated end closure ad acent to said perforation.

' MEREDITH LEITCH. Witnesses:

H. B. BROWNELL,

L. S. JAMES. 

